Wheels/Tyres: Speed rating / invalid insurance.

[rublehousen]

Ive seen a prompt to make sure you buy the right speed rated tyre for your car, otherwise it may invalidate your insurance.

makes sense.

but- the tyres recommended for my car are V rating, 149mph.

speed limit in uk is 70mph.

a N rated tyre is 87 mph.

surely the N rated ones are ok?

I wouldnt be driving over 70 mph, as that is illegal. so how could my insurance be void by having N rated tyres? surely my defence in court would be 'the tyre is rated to 87mph, the uk speed limit is 70mph, the car is/was being used within the specifications of the tyre, your honour..'

i cant see how this would void anyones insurance- even if you had a mclaren F1- you should only be dooing 70 on public roads....

this has probly been thrashed out before but anyone got any ideas? personal experience? any bobbys, court judges or insurance people like to give their point of view?? not a legally binding one of course....

[Paddler Ed]

Because the speed limit is 130kmh in France and the majority of continental Europe, or on some stretches of the Autobahn unlimited, there is a need to ensure that your tyres are able to travel at those speeds.

If the car was limited to 80mph then the N rated tyre would be valid, as the top speed of the car is above that then I believe the correct ones are the V-rated tyres.

The only time I think there is any variation is with winter tyres that have a lower speed rating than all-seasons.

[Ninja59]

Originally Posted by rublehousen

Ive seen a prompt to make sure you buy the right speed rated tyre for your car, otherwise it may invalidate your insurance.

makes sense.

but- the tyres recommended for my car are V rating, 149mph.

speed limit in uk is 70mph.

a N rated tyre is 87 mph.

surely the N rated ones are ok?

I wouldnt be driving over 70 mph, as that is illegal. so how could my insurance be void by having N rated tyres? surely my defence in court would be 'the tyre is rated to 87mph, the uk speed limit is 70mph, the car is/was being used within the specifications of the tyre, your honour..'

i cant see how this would void anyones insurance- even if you had a mclaren F1- you should only be dooing 70 on public roads....

this has probly been thrashed out before but anyone got any ideas? personal experience? any bobbys, court judges or insurance people like to give their point of view?? not a legally binding one of course....

It depends on your insurer some have clauses to ensure that the the tyres and wheels on the vehicle meet OEM specification or even sometimes as they left the factory.

The above poster is correct about winter tyres and idiocy around them for which the insurers have seen some sense but again contact them before making a change.

in relation to your question it is not that simple.

you have a contract with the insurer end of. They have put X clauses which might include this tyre one. I happen to know mine do have one in relation to this which i along the lines of tyres that meet OEM specification as it left the factory in my case 205/50 R17 93W. If i was to change this this would then be a modification (winter tyres being the exception so long as they meet OEM spec but best checking with your insurer they are all different).

You fail to inform them of a modification, your insurance could be invalid. It all depends on how an insurer wants to see it.

Now failing to inform them of a risk (which is what the insurer is taking on in insuring you) is a breach of that contract. Any breach of contract which is from a condition results in termination of the contract and both parties released from further obligations of it, i.e. you have no insurance. Sometimes you might breach an in-nominate term which can only be terminated if serious but as this will be an out and out condition then this is unlikely.

In relation to your argument in the second element, it will pretty much hold very little water, there is a reason why a manufacturer would choose XX sizing rating etc. Also, majority of driving offences are strict liability making any defence very difficult but not impossible it is just unlikely.

Overall if you wish to run different alloys tyre sizes ratings etc. i would always contact your insurer BEFORE doing it, it could just save your bacon later on.I know i might sound a boring sod but it is not worth it.

You actually have two other parties involved beyond yourself with two different legal areas (Contract and Criminal).

oh and it is unlikely to ever be legally binding as any legal bod would be giving legal advice in a social situation...not during paid work.

the other famous one in relation to things like this is failure to have an MOT, now this carries no points just a fine.

However, most insurance policies now state something along the lines of must have/hold a valid MOT and be roadworthy. fail this you breach the contract and you can have no insurance, therefore liable to the failure of having no valid insurance.

Hope this clears up the legal side of things.

[Marty Dolomite]

The tyre rating is not just about max speed, it is also about how the tyre reacts at certain constant speeds and heats etc.
It's very technical and best left to someone in the tyre manufacturing business to explain it properly.

[DaveNP]

Am I being cynical if I suggest that rather than being a legal thing it's the insurer trying to limit their liability (AKA get out of paying up). Given that Anadinolin's insurer is after his MOT testers for an imbalanced wheel when he had his recent accident, the oppotunity to look at the size and speed rating on the side wallis one no insurance adjuster is going to pass up. Obviously if it came to the crunch and there were claims and counter claims and police involvment having the insurers declare your insurance invalid would be a bigger problem.

[Ninja59]

Originally Posted by DaveNP

Am I being cynical if I suggest that rather than being a legal thing it's the insurer trying to limit their liability (AKA get out of paying up). Given that Anadinolin's insurer is after his MOT testers for an imbalanced wheel when he had his recent accident, the oppotunity to look at the size and speed rating on the side wallis one no insurance adjuster is going to pass up. Obviously if it came to the crunch and there were claims and counter claims and police involvment having the insurers declare your insurance invalid would be a bigger problem.

Insurers head on i take a car with the incorrect speed index is that not a bigger risk something that i would need to know...

i suppose you could say that yes but limiting and analysing risk is what any decent insurer will do.

tyres are so important they are the only points of contact so in a way i am glad it is regulated like that.

hence why i am so against this frankly stupid and dangerous fad of stretched tyres.

[Marty Dolomite]

Originally Posted by Ninja59

hence why i am so against this frankly stupid and dangerous fad of stretched tyres.

I know of at least four cars that had had PG9 conditions placed on them, some have resulted in the getting big fines and a ban.

[DaveNP]

Originally Posted by Ninja59

Insurers head on i take a car with the incorrect speed index is that not a bigger risk something that i would need to know...

i suppose you could say that yes but limiting and analysing risk is what any decent insurer will do.

tyres are so important they are the only points of contact so in a way i am glad it is regulated like that.

hence why i am so against this frankly stupid and dangerous fad of stretched tyres.

I fully appreciate the point of risk assessment from an insurers point of view (I think I've even posted in their defence on a thread about young drivers) and I'm with you when it gets to using the wrong size tyre for a visual (or perceived perfomance) effect. In the past however I have bought replacement tyres which were the same brand/type/size etc. except when I was checking before buying the next tyres I found they had different speed ratings, the speeds were both well in excess of UK limits and the performance capabilities of the car yet I suppose in the context of this thread I would have been liable in the event of an insurance claim. I don't have specialist tyre knowledge but then I suspect neither does the insurance assessor, he's just applying the "It's not standard..Gotcha" approach. From experience of cars in the past I've found that even the most basic of cars can be fitted with high performance tyres, apparently because the tyre factory is just down the road from the car plant and they get sent whatever is coming off the line that day, so tyres 'as fitted in the factory' can excede even the manufacturers spec.

[rublehousen]

thanks for the input. i wonder how many people are aware of this when they buy secondhand cars? i wasnt aware of it possibly invalidating your insurance. maybe the insurance companys should ask for the tyre sizes and ratings that are on your car so they can decide wether it is modified or not before selling you insurance? but that would be the nice correct thing for them to do, not the legal minimum they need to do. anyway going to get 4 new michelin tyres in the morning, correct size and ratings, whacked on the flexible friend. i hate buying tyres. and exhausts. grrrrrrrrrrr.

[Bill_56]

One slight anecdote to what's already been said..

...As mentioned, car makers usually sanction a lower speed rating for winter tyres. But I remember reading somewhere that even then, to be 100% UK road-legal when driving on such winter tyres, you are supposed to put a sticker on the dash reading "This car must not be driven in excess of 130mph" (or whatever).

I suppose it's for the safety and benefit of any joy-riders who may steal the car, and innocently drive it a full pelt

@Rubelhousen...
If you're really off to buy michelins, I'm fairly sure Costco has a 25% off (for 4 tyres) last time I went in. Costco do these discounts regularly, and it usually makes them a lot cheaper than anybody else I can find. But it might end this weekend, or may already have ended.

Costco only do Michelins, and they're 'members only', but you may be able to wangle a membership.